By joining Find A Cure Panel for people with Hepatitis, you will be empowered to share your opinions in vital research to help find a cure. What's more, for each survey you complete a minimum donation of $25 is made directly to Hepatitis Education And Liver Support on your behalf.

Naomi Judd's Self-Directed Hepatitis C Healing Program

I have clipped sections of an article about Naomi Judd's Hepatitis Treatment/Healing
Program written by AlternativeMedicine.com.
I have added my own comments and observations as well as added hyperlinks.

"To the amazement of her conventional doctors, Naomiís
alternative program sent the hepatitis into remission in two years.
Conventional medicine says that once you get Hepatitis C, you have
it for life, yet her symptoms are gone. Recently Naomi decided that
remission is not enough and that she is 'going for the cure,' determined
that the virus will leave her body. Naomi reports that her view of
medicine has changed radically as a result of her experience with
hepatitis. 'I see modern medicine as a last resort. You canít beat
it when it comes to trauma care, antibiotics, surgery, or organ transplantation.
Someday the rest of medicine is going to be viewed as barbaric. Hopefully
when my grandchildren look back and see pictures of a human on life
support, itís going to be the way we now look at the medieval practice
of leeches.'"

"Naomiís message these days is that people need to
simplify their livesófigure out what really matters and let the rest
go. Have regular do not disturb days when you turn off the phone and
the fax machine and have no schedule, Naomi suggests. Insist on personal
time, reserve your limited spare time only for those who are very
special, know when to say no, turn off the TV, spend time outdoors,
and educate yourself about holistic medicine."

"Now Naomi is on a new kind of road tour, speaking
all over the world about how the mind and emotions and body are linked.
'I tell people they already have three doctors: the spirit, the mind,
and the body. Itís all about maintaining a balance between these three.
If you have a deficit in one, itís going to draw from the other two.
The body has an innate healing system. The body always knows what
the problem is, what the source is, and how to heal it.'"

"Since recovering, Naomi Judd has written a second
book, Naomiís Home Companion: A Treasury of Favorite Recipes, Food
for Thought, and Kitchen Wit and Wisdom. A potpourri of health issues
and statistics, family recipes, herbal remedies, and life recipes
for mental, spiritual, and emotional well- being, the book contains
many of the lessons Naomi learned on her way to health."

"Naomi predicts that 'the recognition of the mindís
ability to help the body will inspire a new way of thinking about
healing, prevention, and peace of mind.' This understanding, she adds,
will likely lead to 'the overthrow of obsolete, rigid perceptions
and expensive medical practices.'"

"Naomi spent the next six years looking into a range
of alternative medicine techniques, although she prefers the term
'complementary.' She became friends with many of todayís prominent
alternative healers and found new doctors who would support a holistic
approach and give her that parachute of hope her earlier doctors had
failed to provide. Finding the right doctor should be a priority for
patients, says Naomi. 'But remember: two Dr. Rights can still be wrong.'"

"She was aware of good nutrition, but Naomi consulted
a nutritionist to deepen her understanding. She was advised to cut
down on red meat, increase her intake of vegetables and fruits, and
eliminate caffeine. Today, Naomi uses organic produce whenever possible,
enjoys yogurt, and drinks a glass of fresh carrot or orange juice
every day."

"In addition to diet, the methods that became part
of Naomiís total program to reverse the hepatitis range from acupuncture
to zinc supplements. Regular acupuncture improved her energy level
and helped correct the imbalance in her liver. Chiropractic adjustments
kept her vertebrae in alignment so all her bodyís resources could
be devoted to healing."

"A program of nutritional and herbal supplements strengthened
her immune system and lent support to her beleaguered liver. She takes
vitamins A, B, E, beta carotene, and at least 8,000 mg of vitamin
C a day. 'I feel strongly about antioxidants,' she says. 'Iím fortunate
in that I live in the wilderness and have clean air and pure water.
Any time I go into the city, I double my antioxidant dosages.' That
wilderness, incidentally, is a 500-acre ranch known as Peaceful Valley
in rural Franklin, Tennessee, (an hour from Nashville) where Naomi
lives with husband/manager Larry Strickland."

"The minerals in her regimen include selenium (which
strengthens the immune system and is also an anticancer agent), zinc,
biotin, folic acid, calcium, magnesium, and potassium. The main herb
she takes is silymarin (milk thistle). Research has shown that silymarin
is a liver cleanser and can alleviate symptoms associated with hepatitis,
including fatigue, poor appetite, and abdominal pain. To lower the
'mud in the blood,' as she calls it, Naomi takes garlic powder, soy
lecithin, and a product called Cholesta-loô (containing garlic, niacin,
and plant sterols)."

"Perhaps one of the most significant therapies (for
its effect on Naomiís liver) was thymus glandular extract from calves.
The thymus gland, located behind the sternum, is essential in the
maturation of T cells, which are integral to immune system response.
The thymus gland atrophies with age and thymus extracts can replace
its flagging support of the immune system. Naomiís liver enzyme levels,
which had gone up again after the interferon cycle ended, dropped
to within the normal range after she added the thymus glandulars to
her program."

"Among the other components of Naomiís self-directed
healing program were guided imagery and progressive muscle relaxation
(taught to her by biofeedback therapists), yoga, prayer, and morning
and evening 'quiet times' which are her form of meditation. To this
recipe is added the love and support of her family and friends."

"Healing from her family: The love and support of her
family and friends were a crucial element in Naomiís recovery. She
and husband/manager Larry Strickland live on a 500-acre ranch, while
her two daughters, actress Ashley (middle) and country singer Wynonna
(right), live nearby. To help her deal with the emotional load she
was carrying, Naomi sought the assistance of a therapist. In addition
to clearing the emotions which could block her healing, Naomi learned
breathing techniques for relaxation and to help her stay in the moment,
which eased the anxiety attacks."

"Naomi also found massage to be helpful. A weekly massage,
which she had already been enjoying for years, assists in muscle relaxation
and keeps the lymph system flowing to drain toxins out of the body,
she points out. Naomi views massage as a way to stop the fast pace
of life and be fully in your body, a major antidote to stress. 'It
makes me feel from head to toe.'"

"According to Naomi, the psychological component of
her illness was that, as the 'Queen of Everything,' she felt she was
carrying the world. She points to 'my missionary zeal to help people,
on top of the fact that I was CEO of a large corporation. If I didnít
sing, a lot of folks didnít eat.'"

"Naomiís approach to resolving her hepatitis exemplifies
the eight characteristics medical research has found that survivors
of life-threatening disease possess: faith, support, humor, connection
with nature, a sense of purpose, a healthy diet, exercise, and an
open belief system."

Here is a summary of the things involved in Naomi Judd's
healing proram: